Parental Wisdom. First Time Away From Home

Do encourage your child to go on sleepovers to grandparents, friends and relatives before the camp.

It’s might be a good idea to help your child to become more independent and daily involve him or her in different chores, such as shopping, making the bed, and organizing belongings.

Do encourage your child to come to camp with his/her favorite toy.

Do not tell your children that they can come home after a week if they do not like something. It sends the negative message that the camp is only for a week and no matter how good of a time they are having they will say they want to come home after the first week. Just say, “I am sending you because I know you will like it there. If after the session you do not like something then we can discuss it and think of alternatives”. If your child is committed to finish the session, he or she has a better chance of experiencing success and meeting goals. On the other hand, promising your child that he or she can leave whenever they want may encourage him or her to test this, or give up easily instead of gaining valuable life lessons.

Do not repeat over and over again how much you will miss your child. Just say, “I love you, and can’t wait to hear about your new friends and activities”.

Having a friend or sister/brother at the camp is a sense of comfort for the first time camper.

Do not expect everything to be wonderful. Young first time campers tend to want home when they suddenly think about it. This is normal, as they are not used to having people other then Mom and Dad close by. You cannot imagine how easy they forget their fears and relax. And they will learn the greatest benefit of camp: that they can be more independent and with the assistance of other adults solve their own problems.

Be realistic. Like the rest of life, camp will probably have its high and low points. Make sure your child does not feel pressured to succeed at camp.